President Joe Biden said during an Oct. 21 town hall that expanding Medicare would be an uphill battle.
While President Biden said the cost of expanding Medicare could be mitigated, he expressed concern over moderate Democrats who oppose expansion because the $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill currently being discussed in the Senate needs to be scaled back, according to The Hill.
"That's a reach and the reason why it's a reach — I think it's a good idea and it's not that costly in relative terms especially if you allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices,” President Biden said during the town hall. "But here's the thing — [Sen. Joe] Manchin is opposed to that as is, I think, Sen. [Kyrsten] Sinema."
President Biden revealed that some related proposals — such as providing $800 dental care vouchers — were gaining traction, but there has been pushback over expanding vision coverage.